Mining apparatus



Jan. 27, 1970 R. c. ANDERSON 3,492,048

MINING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 21 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. (0 RogerC. Anderson.

Jan. 27, 1970 R. c. ANDERSON 3,492,048

I MINING APPARATUS Filed. NOV. 21 196'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RogerC.Anderson.

United States Patent 3,492,048 MINING APPARATUS Roger C. Anderson, 30416th St., Franklin, Pa. 16323 Filed Nov. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 684,692

Int. Cl. E21c 25/00 U.S. Cl. 299'71 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA ripper type mining machine having a pair of vertically adjustable,horizontally oscillatable, rotary mining heads mounted on respectivepivotable arms wherein each head is rotatable by a motor mounted on therespective arm with the motor axis parallel to the axis of rotation ofthe respective mining head.

The mining machine of the present invention comprises improvements onthe mining machines described and shown in US. Patents 3,333,894(Frellsen) and 3,333,895 (Anderson) wherein a mining machine having apair of vertically adjustable horizontally oscillatable, rotary miningheads mounted on respective horizontally oscillatable pivotable armsprovide a motor mounted on the main frame of the machine for rotatingeach of the mining heads. Such motors were of necessity connected to themining heads by way of elongated drive shafts incorporating at least oneuniversal joint per shaft. The mining machine of the present inventionincorporates a cutter rotating motor mounted on each oscillatable armand drivingly connected to the respective mining heads by simple spurgearing. It is a further provision of this invention that the mininghead motor be mounted with its axis of rotation parallel to the axis ofrotation of the mining head thus avoiding the necessity for bevelgearing.

The mining machine of this invention further provides for the end to endpositioning of the hydraulic cylinders which oscillate the arms.

The advantages and objects of this invention will become more readilyapparent on consideration of the following description and drawings of apreferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a mining machine constructed according tothe principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of themachine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the mining machinein FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale with portions broken away to showinternal details of the mining machine portion;

FIG. 4 is a partially sectional view taken substantially on line IVIV ofFIG. 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is an illustrative showing of the gearing within the miningmachine portion of FIG. 3.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a mining machine generally indicated atconstructed according to the principles of this invention and comprisinga main frame portion 12, mounted upon mobile means such as a pair ofcrawler units 14 (see FIG. 2) and incorporating a' centrallongitudinally extending conveyor 16, all as well known in the art.

The front portion of the main frame 12 (to the right as seen in FIGS. 1and 2) has an elongated forwardly extending cutter boom 18 pivotablymounted thereon and rotatable about a horizontal axis provided by a pairof cylindrical pins 19 (only one of which is shown, see FIG. 2)pivotably connecting the forward end of the main frame 12 and therearward end of the cutter boom 18. Power for such rotation which raisesand lowers the forward end of the cutter boom 18 is provided by a pairof hydraulic cylinders 22 suitably pivotably connected between a forwardportion of the main frame 12 and a pair of jack lugs 24 rigidly mountedat an upper rearward portion of the cutter boom 18 so that contractionof the hydraulic cylinder unit 22 effected by suitably supplyingpressure fluid to the rod end of the hydraulic cylinder unit 22 willcause the front end of the boom 18 to be raised as seen in the brokenline outline in FIG. 2.

The cutter boom 18 is a generally rectangular, hollow box structurecomprising a horizontally extending top plate 26, a bottom plate 28 (seeFIGS. 3 and 4) and side plates 30 rigidly secured together as by weldingand provided with suitable internal reinforcing structures to form arigid hollow member in a well known manner.

Pivotably mounted within the cutter boom 18 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) forlimited swinging movement about substantially perpendicular axes is apair of support arms 31 (only one of which is shown) comprisingforwardly extending cutter head gear cases 32 and 33, left hand andright hand respectively, and rearwardly extending arm portions 35suitably pivotably secured within a rearward portion of the cutter boom18 by substantially vertically disposed pins 36 extending between, andrigidly secured to, the top plate 26 and the bottom plate 28 andsuitably journaled in the arm portions 35 to provide for limitedhorizontal oscillation of the support arms 31 as desired.

It is to be noted that the gear cases 32 and 33 and their respective armportions 35 are in all respects similar though mirror images of eachother to provide for left hand and right hand mounting as shown.Consequently only the right hand support arm 31 and right hand gear case33 will be described in detail since the same description would sufiicefor the left hand support arm 31 and gear case 32.

Within the forward portion of the gear case 33 there is mounted ahorizontally extending cutter wheel shaft 38, rotatable about thecentral axis 39 thereof, and having mounted thereon a plurality (shownas 3) of cutter wheels 40 provided with a lurality of cutting elements42 to be used for winning coal or other mineral from a vein in a mannerwell known in the art.

Rigidly secured to an intermediate portion of the support arm 31 is anenergizable motor means such as an electric motor 44 suitably connectedto a source of power (not shown) and having an elongated rotor memberrotatable about a longitudinal axis 45 parallel to the axis 39 of theshaft 38.

As shown in .FIG. 5 the motor 44 comprises an elongated rotor membersuch as an armature 46 suitably journaled for rotation on the axis 45and having a rotor shaft extending therefrom through an adjustableclutch mechanism 48 to a pinion gear 50 rotatable on the axis 45 throughaction of the clutch mechanism 48 in a well known manner. A series ofspeed reduction gears, generally indicated at 49, all mounted onrespective axes parallel to the axis 45 transmit the rotational power ofthe motor 44 to a final driven gear 52 mounted on the shaft 38 in keyedrelationship therewith so that rotation of the rotor 46 is transferredthrough the gear train 49 with speed reduction to the shaft 38 forpowered rotation of the cutter wheels 40. The mounting of the motor 44on the arm 31 with its axis 45 parallel to the axis 39 of the cutterrotating shaft 38 results in the use of simple spur gearing with no longshafting, universal joints or bevel gearing and with consequentreduction in cost, increase in reliability and improvement in efficiencyof power transmission.

At a point near the forward edge of the cutter boom 18, internallythereof and rightwardly adjacent to the center line of the cutter boom18, the rod end 54 of an axially extensible fluid operated power meanssuch as an hydraulic cylinder unit 55 is pivotably mounted. The head end56 of the cylinder unit 55 is pivotably secured to the arm 31 at a pointintermediate the motor 44 and the cutter rotating shaft 38 and more thantwo thirds of the distance from pins 36 to shaft 38, to oscillate theright hand gear case 33 in a substantially horizontal plane. Thecylinder unit 55 is provided with suitable pressure fluid connectionscommunicating with a suitable source of pressure fluid suitablycontrolled by a servo valve 58 pivotably connected to, and actuated bythe arm 31 and an eccentric drive mechanism (not shown) in the mannerdescribed and shown in the above identified Frellsen patent.

An entirely similar hydraulic cylinder unit 60 is similarly mounted withits rod end pivotably connected at an analogous point on the left handside of the center line of the cutter boom 18 and being similarlyprovided with suitable pressure fluid through the use of a second servovalve (not shown) similarly controls the motion of the left hand gearcase 32. The cylinders 55 and 60 are connected in end to endjuxtaposition as shown in FIG. 1 and provide simultaneous axial forcesin opposite directions to simultaneously oscillate the gear cases 32 and33 in opposite directions with the result that the cylinders 55 and 60provide a balance of forces and avoid the twisting moments of forcewhich would be applied to the cutter boom 18 in case the cylinders 55and 60 were positioned in an overlapping configuration as wasnecessitated in earlier machines by the use of complicated gearingemployed in the shaft drive of earlier machines.

Is it to be further noted that the mounting of the motor 44 with theaxis 45 thereof parallel to the axis 39 and with the rapid continuousoscillation taking place on an arc tangent to the axis 39, and almostcoincident therewith, inertial forces on the rotor 46 will be almostentirely axial in direction and thus the inertial forces will be appliedlengthwise of the rotor shaft rather than transverse thereto as wouldhave been the case if the motor position were otherwise than thatdescribed.

What is claimed:

1. In a mining apparatus having a mobile frame with a pair of forwardlyextending elongated support arms mounted on said mobile frame forpivotable movement about spaced axes, respectively, and a cutter headrotatably mounted at the end of each of said support arms, with eachcutter head rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis transverseto the respective support arm and means for oscillating the arms aboutthe spaced axes in a substantially horizontal plane, the improvementcomprising: energizable motor means for rotating each of said cutterheads mounted intermediate the ends of each of said support arms, eachsaid motor means having a rotor member drivingly connected to saidcutter head and rotatable about an axis parallel to said substantiallyhorizontal axis.

2. The mining apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein said motor meansis an electric motor and said rotor member is the armature of saidelectric motor.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rotor member hasan axially extending shaft portion; a spur type gear rotatable by saidmotor means about the axis of said shaft portion; a plurality of speedreduction gears rotatable about axes parallel to the said substantiallyhorizontal axis in toothed engagement with each other, respectively, andwith a final spur gear rotatable about said substantially horizontalaxis and drivingly connected to said cutter head for powered rotationthereof.

4. The mining apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein said spaced axesare substantially vertical parallel axes; said substantially horizontalaxis is contained in a plane normal to said spaced axes; and the axis ofsaid rotor member is parallel to said substantially horizontal axis.

5. The mining apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means foroscillating said sup-port arms is a pair of double acting extensiblehydraulic cylinders connected between said mobile frame and therespective ones of said support arms in end to end relationship.

6. The mining apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein said mobileframe is mounted on a pair of crawler supports; said mobile framecomprising an elongated rear- Wardly extending, centrally disposedconveyor portion; a generally rectangular, hollow cutter boom pivotablymounted 0n the forward end of said mobile frame for powered partialrotation about a horizontal axis to raise and lower said cutter heads;said support arms being pivotably secured within said cutter boom andraised and lowered thereby; a pair of extensible hydraulic cylinderseach having a hollow elongated cylinder portion mounted on andoscillatable with a respective support arm; and each of said cylindershaving an extensible rod portion pivotably secured to a central portionof said cutter boom at a point adjacent the central axis thereof on thesame side of said central axis as the respective support arm on whichthe said cylinder portion is mounted.

7. The mining apparatus as specified in claim 5 wherein each of saiddouble acting hydraulic cylinders respectively comprises an elongatedhollow cylindrical portion pivotably connected to, and oscillatablewith, a respective support arm and each hydraulic cylinder furthercomprises an extensible rod portion pivotably secured to anonoscillating part of said mobile frame adjacent to a similar mountingof the rod end portion associated with the other of said support arms.

8. The mining apparatus as specified in claim 7 wherein each of saidmotor means is mounted on the respective support arm at a pointintermediate between the respective one of said spaced axes and theconnection point of the respective cylindrical portion on the respectivesupport arm.

9. In a mining apparatus of the type having cutting means rotatableabout substantially horizonal axes and carried by support members,respectively, for axial oscillatory movement and vertical movement andin which motor means are carried by said support members to rotativelydrive said cutter means, respectively, the improvement comprising,mounting said motor means on said support members with rotatable outputshafts thereof parallel to the axes about which said cutter meansrotate, respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,128,998 4/1964 Sibley 299-71 X3,157,437 11/1964 Gonski 29971 3,161,439 12/1964 Newton et al 29971 X3,197,256 7/1965 Hlinsky 29971 X 3,245,723 4/1966 Gonski 2997l X3,333,894 8/1967 Frellsen 29971 X ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner US.Cl. X.R. 299-76

